Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says Manchester United contributed to own downfall as VAR correctly awards Arsenal goal

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said Manchester United may have contributed to their own downfall in Monday's 1-1 draw against Arsenal after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was retrospectively awarded a goal by VAR. Aubameyang he cut inside before lifting the ball over the advancing David de Gea on 58 minutes but his effort was initially ruled out for offside by assistant referee Scott Ledger before VAR correctly ruled that United defender Harry Maguire had played the Gabon striker onside. Solskjaer did not dispute the correct decision was eventually made, but felt Ashley Young and De Gea may have been swayed by the linesman's flag being raised. "Ashley certainly holds his hand up because he can look straight at the linesman. Maybe he hesitates a little bit," the United manager said. "He could have probably got a block in and that probably would have helped David but that's no consolation for us now because it's a perfectly good goal for them. "[The linesman] probably should have kept the flag down. He made an impact on the situation by raising the flag. But I'm for the right decisions and they definitely deserved their goal." Solskjaer, however, did take issue with the match officials after he felt United were denied a penalty shortly before Aubameyang's equaliser after Sead Kolasinac's left arm made contact with the ball in the Arsenal area. Referee Kevin Friend ignored United appeals and VAR did not intervene to rule a "clear and obvious" error had been missed. "Loads of the penalty decisions now the refs, if you don't [give] it, you can't go back and have it. But it's a work in progress," Solskjaer said. United had led through a Scott McTominay goal on the stroke of half time before Aubameyang pegged Arsenal back with his eighth goal in as many games - seven of them in the Premier League. A return of just nine points from their opening seven games is United's worst league start for 30 years and leaves them already 12 points behind leaders Liverpool in 10th. Solskjaer's side have not scored more than one goal since the opening weekend of the season when they put four past Chelsea and the Norwegian lamented his side's inability to kill games off. "It's another game that we are 1-0 up," said Solskjaer. "1-0 at Southampton, 1-0 up at Wolves, we need to learn to win these games. "We go 1-0 up and then we don't get the second goal that we want to get. That's the learning now for this time. Be more cynical, clinical." McTominay provided the one piece of quality in the opening 45 minutes with a stunning strike from distance to put United ahead on the stroke of half time. That was the first goal United had scored from open play at home in the first-half of this season. The Scotland international wasted a gilt-edged chance to add to United's tally early in the second half when he inexplicably placed a header wide from six yards. Bernd Leno produced a fine save to turn a thunderbolt from Maguire over the bar and made sure Arsenal returned to North London with a point to keep out Rashford's powerful free-kick at the death. Arsenal remain without a league victory at Old Trafford since 2006, but a point is enough to edge them back into the top four on goal difference. "I think both Man United and us have quality players and we need to improve, to work, to improve physically and tactically to achieve the best performance," said Arsenal manager Unai Emery. "We wanted to win because we were thinking it was a very good opportunity here to achieve the three points," added Emery. "After 90 minutes I think it was a fair result for both sides."

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says Manchester United contributed to own downfall as VAR correctly awards Arsenal goal

United defenders may have influenced linesman raising his flag to rule out Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's 58th-minute equaliser before technology overturns decision